I’m humble enough to know I’m replaceable at work. But I’m confident enough to know it would take three people.
This quote struck quite a chord on LinkedIn last week. See the post here.It’s surprisingly easy to end up doing more than one role.
All it takes is:
Someone going off sick.
Responsibilities being redistributed during restructures or redundancies.
A headcount freeze.
Picking up the slack when others are overloaded, under-skilled, or underperforming.
People value your ability to get things done, to a high standard, on time. The prize for this is…. you are trusted more and leaned on more.
And before long, you’re carrying the workload of multiple people.
One question
When you count up your hours worked, how many full-time equivalents are you actually doing?
One insight
Feeling irreplaceable can be seductive.
It creates a sense of significance and often fills a self-worth gap we may not even realise is there.
One action
Zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
Is this a short-term challenge (less than a month) that can be managed through radical replenishment and ruthless prioritisation?
Or is this a long-term pattern? (more than one month)
Because the solutions are different.
If it’s long-term, sustainability has to become the goal.
That might mean:
Examining your attachment to being needed.
Having difficult conversations.
Setting clearer boundaries.
Asking for support.
Saying no more often.
Because if you keep working as though you’re irreplaceable, eventually your body may decide otherwise.
And then you’ll be replaced by default.
Keep opening up,
Hannah
P.S Do you still want to figure out ‘what’s next?’ and make it happen? Click ‘Let’s Talk’ on the Whatsapp icon and you’ll be the first to know about my brand-new Intentional Careersâ„¢ Accelerator coming soon 👀
